A function for setting the time is provided in electronic devices having an imaging function, as typified by video cameras.
In video cameras, not only is the time set by this time setting function displayed as a simple clock, but it is also recorded together with the captured images. Accordingly, management of the captured images can be simplified, and it can be used for a timer function and so on.
Recently, electronic devices for portable use can be allowed to access a server via a network by including a built-in communication function or by connecting a communication apparatus such as a mobile telephone and so forth. Devices which access a server via a network normally transmit a user login name and password information at access time, and in addition, they transmit World Standard Time (=Greenwich Mean Time: GMT) information for the transmission time. Based on this information, the server executes access time management and authentication processing to determine whether or not access is permitted.
However, in the time setting function built into conventional video cameras, no function for obtaining or setting World Standard Time is provided. For this reason, when, for example, accessing the server via the network with the communication function included in the video camera, as described above, there are problems in that it is usually not possible to transmit World Standard Time information, which is required for access, the server therefore cannot be accessed, and thus it is not possible to perform, for example, video mail and so forth using the video camera unit.
Furthermore, if the time set by the time setting function of the video camera is used instead of World Standard Time, in the case where the time in the vicinity of London or the like, which is used a reference point for World Standard Time, is set, since the time is actually World Standard Time, no problems occur. However, if, for example, Japanese Standard Time is used instead of World Standard Time, since the nine-hour time difference (Japanese Standard Time has a nine-hour time difference with respect to World Standard Time) is not taken into account, when performing transmission and reception of mail and so forth; delivered by the server via the network, there will be a nine-hour time difference at that time, and it is therefore impossible to correctly ascertain the time at which the mail was transmitted and received, which is a problem.